121 Educational Psychotherapy : What to expect

First, I talk to parents / carers to find out what  their child's current strengths and difficulties are and what they would like help with.

I offer therapy in schools or  online.

I connect up with the child's school teachers, as well as any other professionals involved. 

I place the child's view about their experiences and their hopes, fears and aspirations at the centre of the work. 

I  have referral and consent forms, baseline questionnaires and outcomes measures. 

Assessment  

I recommend starting with an assessment of 3  sessions with the child to find out if this way of working is  a good fit.

I integrate reading, writing and maths skills practice with a combination of story making, art, games, reading  and imaginative play as well as a range of therapeutic tools.

I adapt my approach and resources depending on the age and developmental stage of the child.

I produce an Assessment report with recommendations for home and school and share this with parents in a feedback meeting. I recommend sharing this report with the school to promote a joined up way of working.

Therapy sessions

Therapy sessions are usually once a week. They must be at the same time and in the same place: This creates a space where our therapeutic alliance can develop. 

I recommend review meetings every 6 weeks. 

Therapy can last for  a few months or several years, depending on the needs of the child. 

Small group work with children aged 5-18

As a trained Nurture group and primary school teacher I am adept at facilitating groups of children.

I can design a set of group sessions for children based around themes that are important in their lives.

I can use story, play and creativity, reading and writing to create a therapeutic space for learning and emotional growth.

Caspari Therapeutic Story and Art Groups*

I am a Caspari trained Therapeutic Group facilitator. I can run Therapeutic Story Groups for primary aged children and Therapeutic Art Groups -  The Journey, for secondary students.

These are 10- 12 week programmes with measurable aims and outcomes. They are a lot of fun and children of all ages  enjoy participating. The classic model of delivery is to train school staff to facilitate the groups and then provide ongoing supervision. 

2 adults are needed to run a group with a maximum of 6 children. 

I have adapted both models for use  with secondary aged children with EHCPs and special educational needs including Autism, PDA, Anxiety and AD/HD. 

*These models are exclusive to Caspari Foundation and were designed and developed by  Gill Fernandez Morton  - Therapeutic Story Groups and Maggie Scott - The Journey.